Antonelli clinched the 2026 Formula 1 title with a third-place finish in Mexico City on Sunday, November 1, becoming at 20 the youngest world champion in the sport’s history. Hamilton, now in his first season at Ferrari, finished second behind Max Verstappen and celebrated with his successor on the podium.
On Instagram, the seven-time champion addressed the driver who replaced him at the team he left at the end of 2024. “To have seen your journey so closely and to be there celebrating with you was a highlight of my year,” Hamilton wrote in a message carried by Yahoo Sports. He called the achievement “so well deserved and a record that will stand for a long time.”
Antonelli’s title was secured with four races still to run. The 20-year-old eclipses a mark previously held by Sebastian Vettel, who was 23 when he won his first in 2010, and ends Italy’s wait for a world champion stretching back to Alberto Ascari in 1953.
‘One of the most special moments’
On the podium, Hamilton did not hide his emotion. “It was beautiful to be up there with these two and to be up there with Kimi for his first World Championship,” he told reporters in Mexico City. He described the celebration as “one of the most special moments that I remember having here.”
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A note on the motorhome wall
Hamilton’s connection to Antonelli predates the Italian’s championship. Before leaving Mercedes at the end of 2024, Hamilton wrote a handwritten note to the then-teenager and left it inside the driver’s room at the team’s motorhome.
Antonelli has kept the letter on display since, telling reporters in May 2025 that reading it “fulfilled my heart to receive such a message from such a figure in the sport.” The note itself urged him to trust the Mercedes crew: “if you care for them, they’ll care for you because they’re a great team.”
F1 moves to São Paulo for the Interlagos round on November 6 to 8, with Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi still to come on the 2026 calendar.
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